Myanmar Grants Amnesty to Over 6,000 Prisoners

Myanmar Grants Amnesty to Over 6,000 Prisoners
Anadolu Agency

Myanmar’s military junta has granted amnesty to more than 6,000 prisoners nationwide as the country marked its 78th Independence Day, local media reported on Sunday.

The National Defence and Security Council issued an order freeing 6,134 inmates from prisons, detention centres, and camps across Myanmar, the Eleven news outlet said. The move was described as an effort to “pacify the hearts and minds of the people and respect humanity.”

In addition, Myanmar’s acting president pardoned and deported 52 foreign prisoners, including Chinese nationals, who were serving sentences in various facilities. The decision was said to aim at maintaining friendly international relations and upholding humanitarian principles.

This follows a similar move in November, when the junta granted amnesty to more than 3,000 political prisoners ahead of the December elections and dropped charges against 5,580 people, ordering their release.

Myanmar’s military seized power in a 2021 coup, ousting the elected government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD). The takeover was met with widespread civil unrest. Protests were violently suppressed, and thousands were imprisoned, including NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who faces a total of 33 years in detention.

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